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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cougars Swamped By Cardinal Depth Charge

Playing 10thranked Stanford is a depth wish for undermanned teams like Washington State, a lesson the Cougars knew long before Saturday night’s 72-56 loss at sold-out Maples Pavilion.

For Stanford, depth means Ryan Mendez - ever hear of him? - coming off the bench to drill five 3-pointers, including four during a 6-minute span that helped the Cardinal take a 36-26 halftime lead.

Mendez had 15 points and six rebounds.

“The last one he hit, I touched the ball,” marveled WSU wing Chris Crosby. “I actually deflected it and it went in. Great shooter.”

Depth means watching 7-footer Tim Young pick up his second foul and casually scanning the fleet of Peterbilts for a 235-pound diesel named Mark Madsen, who ended up with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Madsen played a critical role in holding WSU senior Carlos Daniel to eight points and eight rebounds on 1-for-7 shooting. Daniel had gone off for 25 points and 16 rebounds when these teams played last month, but Madsen missed that game with a stress fracture in his right foot.

“We had Madsen this time - it’s that simple,” Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. “Madsen is a great defender and he’s strong enough to handle him and he works very hard.”

Madsen was a bit more diplomatic.

“The ball just wasn’t dropping for him,” the 6-8 sophomore said.

Depth means having nine players get into the game for at least 11 minutes, despite the fact that WSU trailed just 60-53 with 3:31 left.

Ultimately, depth means being 23-3 overall and 12-2 in the Pacific-10 Conference. WSU, at 9-17 and 2-13, can only admire from afar.

“They’re ranked 10th in the nation for a reason,” Crosby said.

For all its struggles this season, WSU has played remarkably well on defense, ranking second only to Stanford in the Pac-10.

The Cougars held the Cardinal to 35 percent shooting - only 29 percent in the second half.

“I personally think that we’re one of the best defensive teams - if not the best - in the conference,” WSU coach Kevin Eastman said. “We just can’t put the ball in the basket.”

WSU shot 31 percent, making only 14 of 45 from the field. The percentage was only 24 without the Cougars’ 7-for-16 showing from 3-point range.

Eastman emphasized the positive.

“When you shoot only 31 percent against the No. 10 team and can keep the game within 10 points (until late), you’re doing a lot of things right defensively,” he said.

The Cardinal won because they made 25 of 31 free throws, taking full advantage after WSU committed its seventh second-half foul with more than 13 minutes remaining.

The Cougars’ 10th foul came with 8:42 remaining, giving Stanford two freebies every time WSU drew a whistle. The Cardinal made 13 of 14 free throws from that point.

From Stanford’s perspective, the outcome was never in much doubt. That didn’t keep WSU from savoring several encouraging signs, starting with the resurgent Crosby.

Crosby had been shooting just 33 percent in Pac-10 play, but he scored a team-high 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting against Stanford. Crosby also grabbed six rebounds, his highest total in WSU’s 15 conference games.

Crosby, who turned 20 on Saturday, was an easy target for a Maples crowd of 7,391, many of whom offered mock salutes by chanting his name and singing several renditions “Happy Birthday.”

Forward Kojo Mensah-Bonsu also played well for WSU. The 6-5 junior forward had 12 points and six rebounds while committing only one turnover. He had committed six turnovers in each of WSU’s last three games.

WSU has three games remaining - all at home - starting with UCLA on Thursday night.

Stanford 72, WSU 56

Washington St. (9-17) - Daniel 1-7 6-7 8, Slotemaker 2-6 2-2 7, Nelson 0-2 3-4 3, Pengelly 2-5 1-3 7, Kazadi 2-9 0-0 5, Crosby 4-7 3-4 14, Mensah-Bonsu 3-8 6-6 12, Hutchens 0-1 0-0 0, Stewart 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-45 21-26 56. Stanford (23-3) - Sauer 2-5 0-0 5, Madsen 3-7 7-9 13, Young 3-10 0-1 6, Weems 0-4 4-4 4, Lee 2-5 10-11 14, McDonald 1-3 0-0 2, Mendez 5-9 0-0 15, Jar. Collins 2-5 1-2 5, Moseley 2-7 2-2 7, Van Elswyk 0-1 0-0 0, Seaton 0-1 1-2 1, Tshionyi 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-57 25-31 72.

Halftime-Stanford 36, Washington St. 26. 3-Point goals-Washington St. 7-16 (Crosby 3-5, Pengelly 2-4, Kazadi 1-2, Slotemaker 1-3, Daniel 0-1, Hutchens 0-1), Stanford 7-15 (Mendez 5-7, Sauer 1-2, Moseley 1-4, Weems 0-2). Fouled out-Kazadi. Rebounds-Washington St. 32 (Daniel 8), Stanford 41 (Madsen 7). Assists-Washington St. 9 (Pengelly 4), Stanford 10 (McDonald 5). Total fouls- Washington St. 23, Stanford 21. A-7,391.

, DataTimes